"That’s why I’m here"- Samoa Joe hints at imminent in-ring debut plans in AEW
AEW's newest acquisition, Samoa Joe set the wrestling world ablaze after his shocking return at the recently concluded ROH: Supercard of Honor XV.
Joe surfaced soon after Jay Lethal and Sojay Dutt invaded Jonathan Gresham's championship celebration. In a grueling main event, the latter defeated Bandido to become the undisputed ROH World Champion.
Lethal, who turned heel earlier in the show, joined forces with Dutt to launch a post-match assault on Gresham to signify himself as the first challenger for the coveted prize.
However, The Samoan Submission Machine ensured that the night didn't belong to the heels, as he applied Coquina Clutch on Dutt to send Lethal a strong message.
During the post-show media scrum, Joe declared that he intends to win both the ROH and AEW World Championships. The former WWE Superstar further vowed to win the upcoming men's Owen Hart tournament:
“World Champion. That’s why I’m here. I tried my bid at bettering the world of professional wrestling, but at the end of the day, I’m here in AEW and ROH to be a Unified Champion," Joe said. "I’m here to win the AEW Championship and Ring of Honor Championship. I’m here to win anything they put in front of me. I’m more than willing to go into the Owen Hart [Cup Tournament] and win that." [H/T- Fightful]
Joe asserted that he doesn't hold respect for anybody until he steps into the ring with them first. The 43-year-old then put the entire AEW locker room on notice by sending them a stern message:
"This ain’t a game anymore. AEW has a lot of feel-good moments, a lot of great wrestlers who respect each other. I don’t respect nobody. Until you’re in the ring with me. I’m coming out there to smack people in the mouth and take what they have."
When asked about what role Samoa Joe sees himself taking in ROH and AEW, Joe says to be the world champion. https://t.co/jCJ0l5pPBZ
Samoa Joe's return to ROH was reminiscent of his time in the promotion when he first rose to prominence. His trilogy with CM Punk is one of those iconic feuds that wrestling enthusiasts still remember to this day.
It's no secret that Joe is eyeing to replicate the same success, but it should now be under the umbrella of Tony Khan.
Samoa Joe will make his AEW Dynamite debut next week
It’s official! @SamoaJoe is ALL ELITE! See you on Wednesday at #AEWDynamite!
#SupercardOfHonor @AEW https://t.co/n29KnFhCBP
Following the ROH Supercard of Honor XV, Tony Khan took to Twitter to confirm Joe's signing and announced that the newest star would appear on AEW Dynamite next week.
Samoa Joe will be no stranger to the AEW locker room, as he has a sordid history with stars like Bryan Danielson, Christopher Daniels, and CM Punk, to name a few. Whether or not he meets a familiar face on his first night remains to be seen.
Are you excited to see what AEW has in store for The Submission Specialist? Sound off in the comments section below.